AN ABANDONED TRIP.

Dominion, Volume 6, Issue 1633, 27 December 1912, Page 4

AN ABANDONED TRIP.

. a PICTON EXCURSION FIASCO, HOLIDAY CROWD DISAPPOINTED. MARAROA TWO, HOURS LATE. It was.- a good tiling for the Union Company yesterday morning that they havo a line inserted in their advertisement to the effect that they will dispatch vesavls "weather and other circumstances pormitting." As was well known, the ferry steamer Mararoa was scneduled to leave Wellington for Pi.cton at 7.45, a.m. yesterday. Long before that hour hundreds ot holiday-makers were B2en making their way down to the Queen's Wharf, intent on having a good trip across to Picton and back. The weather was good, tho sea was calm, but at the appointedtime of sailing there was no sign of the excursion'steamer Mararoa. Tickets had been purchased, and it is probably a long time since the old Mararoa has been looked for by such a' crowd 'of expectant people at Wellington. Presently word went round that the vessel was sighted, and all eyes were turned in the direction of the signal station on Mount Victoria. After the.''crowd had been waiting for considerably over an hour tho .Mararoa poked her nose round Point Hal-swell, and came up to her berth at the Queen's Wharf, No. 1 south, about 10 a.m.—fully two hours later than was anticipated. W'hen it was seen that the vessel could not be dispatched for Picton before 11 a.m., the officials of the Union Company declared the trip off, .and immediately there was a rush of over 1000 people to the ticket offices to get their money back. Ones again many were inconvenienced in the rush, and many' complaints were heard. It was a tired, disappointed crowd that finally left the wharf towards town.-Soma looked at the matter philosophically, whilst others made bitter comments on the collapse of tbo company's arrangements. The hour was too late lor many to make other arrangsments, and otheTS again said, "Let's go 'off somewhere else to spend the day." The point was, however, that over a thousand people had been disappointed by the Union Company, and one and all looked for an explanation.

When spoken to yesterday concerning the matter, the company's traffic manager' said that arrangements had been made for the Mararoa to bring 300 immigrants, who had arrived at Dunedin by the ShavrSoviir liner Mamari from London. The new-comers came up from Dunedin by special train and embarked at Lyttelton, with about GO tons of persona! luggage. The local officer knew nothing about the luggage until it arrived yesterday morning. The Mararca was telegraphed to sail from Lyttelton at 7/20 p.m., but as a matter of tact she did net clear the southern port until 9.20 p.m., the delay being occasioned by the late arrival of the special train in question. No notice of this fact was sent through, hence the late arrival of the vesssl at Wellington, and alsothe disappointment to the large number of intending excursionists. ' The local trafne manager expressed regret, but said that under the circumstances the abandonment of the trip could not be helped. Had the linion Comnany dispatched the Mararoa for Picton a't 11, she would have been unable to leave here for Lyttelton until a late hour last evening, and thus would have missed connection with the south express, and thrown things out generally. Again, it was impossible to put on another steamer because none were available.

Concerning the rush at the ticket offic«3 for a refund of moneys, Mr. Horton stated, that that was not necessary at all. The tickets which had been. issued could, he declared, have been presented at the company's office any tinw and the money refunded.